Wednesday letters: Remembering Camp Logan

Camp Logan, circa 1917, was a World War I Army training facility located where Memorial Park is now.

Photo: xx

Mutiny then riot

Regarding "The tragic history of Camp Logan" (Page A1, Sunday), today marks the centennial of the Camp Logan Mutiny, also known as the Houston Riot of 1917.

To commemorate the event, a historical marker is being rededicated at Memorial Park and, this Saturday at 10 a.m., the Buffalo Soldiers Museum will host a panel consisting of descendants of soldiers from the 24th Infantry Regiment and descendants of members of the Houston Police Department who were involved in the violence to discuss the mutiny's impact on their families.

This commemoration assumes great significance in light of recent events in Charlottesville, Va., and the debates surrounding whitewashed versions of American history represented by Confederate monuments in public spaces. My hope is that these debates will continue to develop into broader discussions about American history and the necessity to create a more inclusive historical narrative.

The centennial of U.S. intervention in World War I is an opportunity to discuss how we can avoid the errors of those who erected the Confederate monuments by telling a story that is both accurate and inclusive.

The United States has greatly evolved since that horrific night in August 1917, but it is important to recognize that some of the very issues that provoked the soldiers' mutiny - including white supremacy, police brutality and racial disparities in the criminal justice system - and the subsequent violence in Houston remain prevalent in the discourse surrounding race relations today. Working to improve race relations in America requires us to fully confront and understand the ugliness associated with our country's legacy of racism.